


Pieces of the Broken

by Old1stStep (Simply8Steps)



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, M/M, ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-18
Updated: 2017-05-18
Packaged: 2018-11-02 06:17:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10938717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Simply8Steps/pseuds/Old1stStep
Summary: Sometimes, you write down those pieces of your life that have been broken and hope to rebuild it to what it was. AUish, Tezuka and Ryoma centered [Tezuryo, oneshot].





	Pieces of the Broken

**Author's Note:**

> This was my first Prince of Tennis story ever, and I've loved the Pillar Pair since I first watched the anime, but... yeah. As with most of my old fics, there's going to be quite a bit of cringe, a lot of tropes, and also, the required suspension of disbelief. (Originally posted on FF.net on 12/18/2006.)

… _the oldest and most devastating pain there is: not the pain of childhood, but the remembrance of it._

_from Sula by Toni Morrison_

 

_The day was unnaturally beautiful. His hand was cramping from the effort to finish this one last poem. It was to be his legacy, and his entire body shook as the tears coursed down his face, unhampered… unrelenting, even as his neat, flowing script filled the page with blood red words._

 

> _**My spirit had left with his,  
>  After a final, cold kiss.** _

 

A ten-year old Tezuka Kinimitsu had been shocked the first time he ran into Ryoma Echizen, literally. The impact as they crashed into each other when chasing their respective tennis balls in the park had sent them both reeling back to land roughly on the ground. Neither had spoken… no apologies and no introductions. Tezuka's level stare met with Ryoma's defiant one before the latter broke eye contact and pulled down his white cap to hide his eyes. They had simply gathered their balls, stood up, dusted themselves off, and walked in opposite directions. It was another week before they discovered that Ryoma had only recently moved into the house down the block from Tezuka's, and still another before Ryoma began attending the same elementary school as Tezuka, two grades below him.

Both kept to themselves, distancing their peers with their unapproachable, apparently antisocial, attitudes. Tezuka seemed cold and serious to others in his class while Ryoma seemed apathetic and proud. Soon, they became the outcasts of their respective grades but were ultimately drawn together by circumstance, forced to walk home together because they could ignore each other's presence quite well on the way. This continued until it became a habit… Both boys had become comfortable with the other's presence subconsciously to the point where one would actually wait for the other before starting the journey home, only a few blocks away. However, there was no acknowledgement of any such thing as friendship between the two, despite Ryoma's parents' continued questions about his new companion. Then one particular winter afternoon, Ryoma had decided to walk home from school by himself after waiting for, what he judged, a sufficient amount of time for Tezuka, who, unknown to Ryoma, was detained by extra after-class duties. Ryoma would never have admitted it, but he was miffed… and he missed his companion.

When Tezuka had finally finished, he had looked out the window to see Ryoma already walking off. He sighed, not surprised because of the younger boy's normally impatient nature. He told himself that he didn't care that the boy was walking off without him. All the same, he hurried to gather his things in the way that only Tezuka Kinimitsu could hurry even at his young age, dignified yet agile. By the time he made it out of the school gates, however, Ryoma had already disappeared around the corner, but when he finally turned that same corner, he was stopped by the sight in front of him.

Ryoma huffed in annoyance, which only aggravated the bullies further. Not only did he seem unafraid, but he was showing them some attitude as well, even as they hung his backpack tauntingly in front of him.

"Baka."

"What did you say?"

"It looks like the baka-sempais don't even understand spoken language."

It was the last straw for the angry juniors from the local middle school. Obviously, they had to take a more drastic measure to teach this brat a lesson. As the gang leader strode forward to make the first hit however, he was startled as another kid grabbed his wrist with surprisingly quick reflexes. The new brown-haired kid gave them a piercing glare as he practically ordered them to leave the boy alone.

Unfortunately the larger boy smirked, jerked back his wrist, and punched Tezuka instead. Tezuka fell backwards, his glasses falling off. "I didn't like your stare, and now," a resounding crunch followed as he stamped his heel on the glasses, "it seems like I've taken care of it for a while… But your eyes are still open. I don't like that."

"Stay away from him." His attention was once again jerked back to the other one. This time, golden eyes glared back at him lit with a flame that wasn't there before, and he hated that he couldn't help the shudder that went down his spine.

"You didn't learn your lesson yet, brat? Well, I don't like that look either so I guess we'll just have to fix it the same way we fixed your friend here."

"Mada mada dane."

"Why you…"

In the end, both Ryoma and Tezuka were beaten up until the older kids got bored though they were unnerved at the fact that neither boy looked like they were broken even though it was apparent that they were in pain. In fact, their spirits seem to grow with each punch and kick, and the others just muttered a "whatever" before walking away. Ryoma and Tezuka helped each other up and struggled to his house together. Neither of them spoke, but words weren't necessary. Neither mentioned the word 'friends', but that was what they became. It was a silent agreement. The only thing that mattered was that they knew it inside.

As time went on, this bond of friendship, though subtle, strengthened. They soon began to walk together to school as well, and the age gap hardly mattered to them. They were exactly alike yet entirely different. Perhaps the way to describe it would be that one was the sun, the other the moon, and yet, both the sun and moon occupy the same sky. Both also soon found common ground in tennis.

Before he met Tezuka, Ryoma's chief goal was to beat his annoying idiotic father, but that soon shifted as Tezuka helped him have fun, playing tennis with someone with whom he was on an almost equal level, an opponent that did not mock him. Tezuka's passion for the game of tennis ignited a fire inside Ryoma. He awakened a burning passion for the game inside of Ryoma that his father couldn't. It was in that way that he had gained Echizen Nanjiroh's respect… unknowingly of course.

Because Ryoma's parents had been worried about him seemingly not having any friends, they openly accepted Tezuka into the family. Meanwhile, Tezuka was shocked at the differences between the Echizens' well… liberal household and his own more traditional family. However, his own family also seemed to like the idea of him having an actual friend and accepted Echizen quite easily as well. Of course, it also helped that Ryoma was usually on his best behavior when visiting the Tezuka residence.

So it was together that they grew and pushed each other to grow better and better at tennis. Tezuka could already see the flourishing potential that existed inside of the other, and he felt determined to help Ryoma be the best, to help him fly.

Before the end of that year, Tezuka had learned that Ryoma loved to drink grape Ponta and really did care for and admire his father on the inside. He also found that Ryoma loved his little kitten Karupin more than anyone else in the family (he had found Ryoma crying on the porch one day when he thought that the cat had run away and gotten lost; they found her in Tezuka's backyard, and Ryoma made him promise to never tell anyone that he had cried). Soon, however, Ryoma had to return back to the states. They kept in touch, and Ryoma returned the following year after winning the Junior Tournament in the US.

Tezuka was, by then, a freshman at Seigaku Junior High.

 

> **_We've said good-bye before…  
>  Just that forever wasn't in store._ **

 

Both had improved. Tezuka remembered playing those "homecoming" tennis matches with Ryoma. They were some of the hardest games he had ever played, and Ryoma was one of the few opponents that he actually played left-handed against at the time, because he knew that he could go all out… he had to go all out. He could enjoy himself. It felt like he was breaking down barriers, it felt limitless, it felt like an adrenaline rush… it felt like floating… like pure happiness, untainted by the outside world. It became only him, tennis, and his best friend and rival.

Ryoma was amazed at Tezuka's improvement. Not only that though, he lost 7-5 even after winning a title in the American Junior Tournaments. However, he was more surprised that it didn't bother him to lose as much as it usually would. In fact, he felt driven to get better, until the day he could beat Tezuka.

"Mada mada dane?"

Tezuka was very aware of the strengths of the tennis players around him, and he made a silent promise to help bring out Ryoma's full potential as they shook hands from across the net, as a friend and opponent.

"Hai."

In the end, he decided that Ryoma would also help to bring out Seigaku's full potential as well… Yamato-buchou had asked him to be his school's pillar, and he had promised. He never broke his promises. He already saw the hidden potential in several of his present teammates and friends. He had made a private promise to Oishi as well. He refused to let them down. He also knew that Ryoma's father had gone to Seigaku and was planning to have Ryoma enter as a freshman. Tezuka couldn't wait.

That year, they went to separate schools, but they still managed to meet every week for tennis and just to talk, not that they talked much. They had a form of silent communication, a connection that linked them. Despite the inability of other people to read Tezuka and Ryoma, they could read each other easily enough through their eyes and body language. Ryoma had been horrified when he heard about what had happened to Tezuka when the upper classman had hurt him with a racket. He had been even angrier when he heard that Tezuka had disregarded his injury to play against Fuji, a prodigy according to others. Ryoma had fought the tinge of jealousy, concerning himself more with the state of Tezuka's elbow. Even a ten-year-old like him knew how serious an injury to the elbow could be to a tennis player, and he didn't hesitate to point it out to Tezuka.

When Ryoma left again at the end of the year, they said farewell… comforted by the thought that it would last only one year.

 

> **_We've grown together, me and you,  
>  So how could you leave me now  
>  One-half of what we use to be._ **

 

Ryoma had been scared halfway out of his head when he heard that Tezuka's injury had worsened over junior year, so he let out a breath of relief when he met Tezuka on his return. He believed Tezuka when he said that he was getting better, but Ryoma still opted to postpone their usual 'homecoming' match. Therefore, he was surprised when Tezuka proposed that they try to play each other right-handed. The game was still just as exhilarating with Ryoma barely winning 7-6. Ryoma had to admit though, he was jealous of Tezuka's newfound height.

Becoming a regular at Seigaku wasn't that difficult for Ryoma, and he found that he rather enjoyed using his cocky attitude to annoy the others. He found it more difficult to adjust to the fact that Tezuka was now his captain… buchou, and a rather strict one at that. He never minded the laps though and continued to enjoy the quirks of reading the stoic boy when others found it impossible.

Tezuka found it amusing… even though he would never show it (though Fuji did suspect it). No one, except Fuji and Oishi, suspected that there was any relationship between their buchou and the new rookie freshman.

When Tezuka's elbow had been declared fully healed by the doctor, he and Ryoma had played a celebratory match at the newly remodeled Haruno Courts. Neither went all out because Ryoma had found out the doctor's instructions from Oishi. It never failed to amaze Tezuka how Ryoma could track down this information like a bloodhound.

Tezuka still won 6-4 though, and Ryoma smiled, a real smile that wasn't a smirk, which drew a small smile from Tezuka as well. It also never failed to amaze Tezuka how Ryoma was the only person he ever met that could really draw him out, push him to reach further. Ryoma forced him to feel things that he never felt before and taught him the meaning of taking chances. Ryoma taught him about the most exhilarating parts of life.

"What was that new technique called?"

"Aah, the Tezuka zone."

Ryoma smirked, "That's quite an original name. You also perfected that drop shot of yours. I'm going to have to work even harder to catch up."

Tezuka just stared back into the bright golden eyes. 'Just don't get careless.'

Ryoma looked up (their height difference still irked him) at the deep chocolate eyes of his new Buchou and snorted when he read the message there. The normally sharp eyes, hidden behind reflective lenses, grew softer and warmer than before. His smirk melted into a smile. "Let's get something to eat. I need a Ponta."

Tezuka didn't need to answer. He just started to gather his things. Together, they walked to the ramen stand down the street.

 

> **_We strived for our dreams together;  
>  We held each other together._ **

 

Tezuka felt like crying for the first time when Ryoma said his goodbyes to everyone before heading for the US Open. He had finally defeated Tezuka. They no longer held any regrets… except for one. Therefore, Tezuka's heart felt like bursting when he saw Ryoma again, one of the youngest runner-ups in the history of the Open, at the start of the Nationals.

Then, when they won the Nationals, he had lost himself to the moment… in the magic of the moment. He had laughed. It had even surprised Ryoma, who had heard it despite being pummeled by his teammates for winning the tournament match. He told Tezuka later that he should do it more often.

It was then that Tezuka discovered that he cared more about Ryoma than he had realized before.

It was another two years, two years of grief, struggle, and frustration before their feelings were revealed to one another by way of Tezuka's graduation "gift," a single intense, all consuming yet gently loving kiss. Ryoma had accepted it with wide-open arms. He accepted Tezuka with wide-open arms as well. They spent another three years together before Ryoma went pro in America. Tezuka decided to finish University. As a first year student at Tokyo University, he had decided not to turn pro. Instead, he entered the field of medicine… focusing on physical therapy and rehabilitation. He had been interested in the field ever since his sabbatical in Germany. The recuperation had taught him several things about himself that he wanted to explore more. This way, he wasn't leaving tennis either. Ryoma had, after overriding the initial shock and disappointment, accepted it relatively easily on the condition that they still played now and then. It was all Tezuka ever wanted.

Ryoma then became more than just a pillar for Seigaku and their old teammates, their friends; he also became Tezuka's pillar of support. Encouraging him through the bulk of his studies, Ryoma also knew when he needed a break to relax or when Tezuka needed a dose of tennis. Together, they worked for their dreams along with all the other members of the old team. Their bonding ceremony came after Tezuka finally gained his master's degree from Columbia University in New York and Ryoma won his fourth all-around Grand Slam.

 

> **_We shared high hopes for the future;  
>  We believed in each other.  
>  Then you started to drift away from me._ **

 

They loved each other. They were partners, lovers, and the best of friends. They could understand each other. It was probably one of the only reasons why their relationship worked. After all, they were sometimes too hardheaded and stubborn for their own good. However, that's what caring, meddlesome family and friends were there for. Even Karupin gave her best to keep her two new masters stay together.

Tezuka also surprised everyone when he took a side occupation and became an accomplished poet. They called him the Walt Whitman of his generation for his poetry; poetry that called forth surprising amounts of imagery and emotions considering his own stoic personality. The content of the poetry itself was sometimes debatable as well.

Ryoma eventually retired, and they lived a quiet life. It was everything they ever needed. Therefore it hurt that much worse when everything shattered, and Tezuka was left alone to pick up the broken pieces left behind.

 

> **_It had hurt horribly  
>  As each piece dug into me slowly._ **

 

Ryoma had fought against the slow disease that ate away at him from the inside out, but they had known that it was inevitable. His body would eventually crash. Tezuka had cried each time he walked into the hospital room to see the shadow that remained. It was hell for him quite simply. Everyone described a pit of fire when describing that place. Tezuka saw a barren land more frozen than the tundra, a black abyss where the darkness blinded one's eyes and the emptiness smothered their breath, where there was a cold so deep that it chilled and burned at the same time.

However, Ryoma's eyes never lost their light. He had begged for one last tennis match with Tezuka. Tezuka gave in and could only play his best, awed by the light that flowed from Ryoma's body as he played the game with everything he had left. Each step taken, each practiced and flowing stroke, each resounding impact communicated everything that they had left to say to each other. Tezuka knew that it was a final farewell even as tears flowed unheeded down their faces. Ryoma's sheer spirit, sheer drive and will helped him win the first set. Tezuka took the next. They were tied 6-6 in the last set when finally Ryoma's body gave out. He had exhausted every last part of his being, had given everything he had left to his two greatest loves.

"Kinimitsu… remember, no regrets?"

Tezuka barely managed to whisper his response. "No regrets."

Ryoma died there in his arms with a smile on his face… the sun setting while his soul passed onwards.

 

> **_But now, I'm freed from my bondage_ **  
>  **_To fall into the Darkness_ **  
>  **_Into the warm arms of my lover._ **

 

_The poem was finally finished. The hand that had written it had ceased its pained movement. He had no regrets about leaving this world now. He had no regrets about becoming whole once again._

 

**_Fine._ **

 


End file.
